Making Idols

Twitching

Many folk, reading this title, will immediately think of birdwatchers. They will think that all birdwatchers are twitchers. They are not – far from it in fact. A “twitcher” is a birdwatcher who will drop everything in order to see a rarity which has been spotted and correctly identified. The twitch may be local or it may be hundreds of miles away. But that’s what a twitcher does – he rushes off to see a rarity or special bird whatever the cost or distance involved. I love bird watching, but I am definitely not a twitcher.

I am the same with celebrity speakers too – many Christians are. At the mention of a special or celebrity speaker coming anywhere close to them, they start to twitch until they know they have a ticket to go see the person in action. These are good solid Christians. Well, by most standards they are anyway. These are people I would call “conference junkies” or “celebrity roadies” – people who will travel anywhere, anytime to see and hear the latest celebrity speaker.

Some of us did this recently, when a certain Nathan Morris came to Hull. We grabbed our tickets and loaded a charabanc with a dozen or so eager Christians, and off we went to hear this wonderful “new” man of God speak and minister in Hull. There is a sense in which we were ‘twitching’ but this was special to us as Nathan Morris is a ‘local boy’ and our pastor has been friends with his Dad for years – so we feel we know him. Yet I am sure there were many there who wanted to see and hear the latest “All-British celebrity preacher” in action. And yes, he was good, and yes, there were signs and wonders following the preaching of the Word.

But I wonder. I wonder if we set these speakers on a pedestal. Certainly some of them set themselves on a pedestal by their ‘bling’ lifestyle and their not particularly endearing nor humble attitude towards the thousands who flock to see them. Are we to blame for this or has a certain pride or arrogance crept in? Certainly I feel we have set them apart, maybe put them in a goldfish bowl, even on a pedestal. And in one or two of the very elite group of speakers and pastors, we have almost certainly gone way over the top in idolising them and making them the subjects of idolatry.

I don’t think any one of us wants to set them up like this, but there seems to be a herd instinct – well we are a flock after all aren’t we? Where one goes, others follow through inquisitiveness or agreement or even through a perverse kind of love of the person concerned. Either way, we set them above, we set them on high. It seems a vicious circle too because the higher they go, the more likely they are to fall – to temptation, to greed and avarice, or to good old ego or self esteem.

Our motives start out pure I’m sure, but slowly we become ‘drugged’ on the euphoria of meetings with ‘super-star speakers’. We may not intend to but idolatry is an easy bed-fellow to fall in with and he is a greedy one – soon urging you to bring more friends into the loop with you. SO next time we get the chance of seeing and hearing one of these good men of God (for the most part) let’s examine our motives first before we book the tickets and build them up even higher.

It may save their ministry and it may save you money. Now there’s a thought. LOL